Holding Algorithms Accountable

JUNE 24, 2017

9 AM - 11 AM

Palazzo del Turismo, Riccione

Algorithms are increasingly being put in charge of important decisions in our lives, but the way they make these decisions is opaque at best. For almost two years the New York-based nonprofit newsroom ProPublica has been investigating the use of algorithms and machine learning in areas like criminal justice, insurance, and access to education. Jeff Larson, a Data reporter at ProPublica, who covers algorithms, privacy and surveillance, will talk about the process behind these stories and how these algorithms tend to enforce rather than help disparities in modern society.Larson was a key member of the team reporting on the Snowden documents with the New York Times and the Guardian. He is a winner of the Livingston Award for promising young journalists, and a Pulitzer Finalist for the investigation ‘Killing the Colorado’.